ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bowser

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈboʊzɝ// bows·er Slang

n. a large tank used for carrying and giving out liquids like water or fuel. It is often a vehicle or a trailer that you can move to different places.

n. a tanker or mobile container used for the distribution of fuel or water, often to aircraft or in areas without a mains supply. Frequently used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English to refer to a petrol pump or a water tanker.


SIMPLE

The emergency crew brought a water bowser to the village.

CONTEXTUAL

After the main pipe burst, the council sent a bowser to provide fresh drinking water to the residents.

COMPLEX

During the drought, farmers relied on a communal bowser to transport water from the reservoir to their parched livestock in the upper fields.

Origin

* (liquids): From Bowser (“a surname”), named after Sylvanus Bowser, US inventor of the first fuel pump; also a trade name of SF Bowser inc., the inventor's company. * (Irish)

Usage

Commonly used in technical or logistics contexts; in Australia and New Zealand, it specifically refers to a fuel pump at a service station.

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